Veteran India batter Virat Kohli ended his over three-year wait for a Test century with a painstaking 186 in the just-concluded fourth and final match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
Kohli scored 186 to help the hosts take a sizeable first-innings lead of 91 runs. This was Virat’s 28th century in Tests and his first since November 2019. Notably, he went as many as 41 Test innings without a ton.
After the fourth Test ended in a draw on Monday (March 13), Virat Kohli interacted with India head coach Rahul Dravid on bcci.tv.
During the candid conversation, Dravid took a cheeky jibe at Kohli by saying that he had to wait 16 months to watch his Test century from the comfort of the dressing room.
“You made me wait for a long time since I became the coach. But what a beauty and it was an absolute privilege to watch the way you constructed your innings,” said Dravid.
When asked about his mindset during this marathon knock, Kohli admitted that it was a good surface to bat on.
“Thanks for your kind words Rahul bhai. As far as approaching this inning is concerned. I knew that I was playing well even in the test matches before we played this one. To be fair, it was a really good wicket to bat on,” Virat said.
“But having said that I think the Australian whatever the little help was there in the wicket I think they utilised it really well. Their consistency to bowl in the little rough was created through Mitchell Starc’s bowling for Nathan Lyon and the other off-spinner (Todd Murphy) as well. They capitalised on it really well. The fact that they put 7-2 field most of the time for me. It meant that I have to be patient and trust my defence and that’s the template I have already played with in Test cricket,” he added.
Kohli also spoke about the importance of having a strong defence in Test cricket.
“My defence is my strongest point because when I defend well I know that when the ball is loose and when it’s there to hit I can cash in and get the runs I need,” he stated.
“The boundaries were not easy to come by, to be honest. The outfield was slow, the ball was soft and they were pretty consistent. One that really calmed me down as I am happy to just run ones and twos and score a hundred,” he further said.
Virat Kohli batted for 364 balls in Ahmedabad Test and he credited his fitness to being able to bat that long.
“I can bat four sessions, I can bat five sessions, that’s where the fitness and physical preparation comes into play for me. I go into the field to relax because I know I can bat in many ways. I am not desperate if I play three sessions and feel like I am breaking down and I need to get fast runs otherwise I won’t be able to stay there for long,” he said.
“I think for people who must have seen it or we have watched you guys bat so many times in the past as well. One thing that stood out was batting fitness which was to be able to bat five sessions and six sessions and I think for that you need to physically prepare yourself, that’s where the mindset comes from.”
